Written Answers Monday 26 September 2005

Scottish Executive

Advocacy Services

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take if demand for independent advocacy services exceeds supply in the next three years.

Lewis Macdonald: If demand for independent advocacy services proved to meet supply during the next three years the Scottish Executive will consider what action, if any, might be appropriate for it to take in the particular circumstances which gave rise to that situation.

Care of Elderly People

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive why local authority-run care homes for elderly people receive higher levels of funding for each placement than independent care homes.

Lewis Macdonald: Local authorities are required under section 22 of the National Assistance Act 1948 to set gross fees for local authority care home places at an amount equivalent to the full cost to the authority of providing them.

Dentistry

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made in assisting the University of Dundee Dental School in meeting the costs of additional students who have requested, and been offered, training places and what funding and other assistance has been provided to the school in each of the last three years.

Lewis Macdonald: Following discussions with Dundee University, the Scottish Executive has agreed to put in place a one-off emergency funding package of £4.5 million to support the clinical costs of these students education, including one year NHS vocational training after graduation.

  The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) has provided the following funding for teaching costs of Dentistry Courses at the University of Dundee:

  

 Year
 Amount


 2003-04
£2,637,145


 2004-05
£2,744,480


 2005-06
£2,820,500



  The following NHS Education Scotland funding has also been available in support of clinical education and training at the University of Dundee Dental School:

  

 Year
 Amount


 2003-04
£4,022,494


 2004-05
£4,254,204


 2005-06
£4,498,341



  These figures include the funds for Additional Costs of Teaching (Dental) which are administered by NHS Tayside.

Dentistry

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many dental practitioners are currently working wholly in the private sector in (a) Renfrewshire, (b) Inverclyde and (c) Scotland and what the comparable figures were in 1998.

Lewis Macdonald: Information about the number of dental practitioners currently working wholly in the private sector in (a) Renfrewshire (b) Inverclyde and (c) Scotland is not held by the Scottish Executive. However, the Care Commission are currently compiling a list of wholly private dental practitioners.

Doctors

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) medical school places and (b) junior doctor posts there have been in each year since 1995.

Mr Andy Kerr: The recommended intakes which take account of overseas students, for medical school places in Scotland are detailed in the following table:

  Undergraduate Medical Intake 1995-96 to 2005-06

  

 Year 
 Number of Students


 Home/EU
 Overseas
 Total


 1995-96
 781
 60
 841


 1996-97
 818
 66
 884


 1997-98
 818
 66
 884


 1998-99
 833
 67
 900


 1999-2000
 833
 67
 900


 2000-01
 834
 66
 900


 2001-02
 834
 66
 900


 2002-03
 834
 66
 900


 2003-04
 834
 66
 900


 2004-05
 834
 66
 900


 2005-06
 834
 66
 900



  Source: Scottish Higher Education Funding Council.

  The number of junior doctor posts is not held centrally. However, the total number of junior doctors, in whole-time equivalents (WTE), is detailed in the following table and this gives an approximation of the number of posts each year from 1995.

  Junior Doctors 1995-2004

  

 Year
 WTE


 1995
 3,863.9


 1996
 4,038.6


 1997
 4,174.4


 1998
 4,221.1


 1999
 4,283.8


 2000
 4,239.7


 2001
 4,429.1


 2002
 4,912.9


 2003
 5,066.3


 2004
 5,273.8



  Source: Workforce Statistics, ISD Scotland.

  Note: 1. Data includes Pre Registration House Officers, Senior House Officers, Registrars and GP Registrars.

  Workforce planning is underway to determine the number of training places Scotland requires both for the longer term and for the immediate transition period for new training arrangements known as Modernising Medical Careers (MMC), where the aim is to ensure that those doctors currently in the system in Scotland have every opportunity to remain here.

Doctors

Mrs Nanette Milne (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many junior doctors did not have a post to go to (a) on 3 August 2005 and (b) in each of the last five years.

Mr Andy Kerr: The following table details the destination of those graduates from Scottish medical schools at 30 September 1999-2004 as recorded by NHS Education for Scotland.

  

 Taking up Pre-Registration House Officer:
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Scotland
 619
 672
 644
 748
 721
 644


 England and Wales
 80
 44
 28
 32
 48
 57


 Northern Ireland
 12
 5
 4
 4
 6
 9


 HM Forces
 1
 1
 0
 0
 1
 1


 Abroad
 0
 1 
 5
 5
 3
 9


 Unknown/Other
 14
 5
 8
 12
 9
 7


 Total
 726
 728
 689
 801
 788
 727



  Source: NHS Education for Scotland Destination from Scottish Medical School Graduates.

  This shows that the destination of a small number of graduates in each year was either unknown or other, than posts in the home countries, HM Forces or abroad.

  Of the seven graduates whose destination was listed as "Unknown/Other" in 2004; four were in the unknown category, and of the three that chose not to take up PRHO posts this was due to travel, further study and one did not apply for registration. We do not have evidence that any of these graduates did not have a post to go to for any reason other than through their own choice. Information prior to 2004 is not available.

  Information is not held centrally on the number of junior doctors at Senior House Officer and Specialist Registrar level seeking a post in Scotland.

Economy

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will update Professor Gavin McCrone’s 1974 paper on the Scottish economy.

Mr Tom McCabe: There are no plans to update the McCrone paper. The Executive’s existing annual publication  Government Expenditure & Revenue in Scotland (GERS) provides a comprehensive picture of Scotland’s current fiscal position.

Environment

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the effects of releases of chloraminated water into the environment, in particular on wild fish, freshwater invertebrates and soil invertebrates.

Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for Scottish Environment Protection Agency, in the first instance. It monitors developments in scientific understanding of the effects of chloramines and other substances on the water environment. It has carried out an assessment of the risks to the environment arising from the use of chloramination in the disinfection of public water supplies. Current practice in Scotland reflects the results of this assessment.

Environment

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on the scale and location of chloramine-treated water discharges into the environment, both accidental, such as leakage, and deliberate, such as irrigation and flushes from industrial cooling systems, and whether it will publish this information and, if so, when.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive does not hold this information.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S2W-18704 on 26 September 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Ferry Services

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the letter of 14 July 2005 from the Minister for Transport and Telecommunications in respect of the tendering costs of the first bid for lifeline ferry services currently provided by Caledonian MacBrayne, whether it will place in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre each piece of the external advice commissioned at a cost of £286,000 and, in particular, the research into the application of the EU rules in other member states.

Tavish Scott: Much of the work undertaken by consultants commissioned by the Executive has contributed to the development of Scottish Executive policy on this subject and has been reflected in documents that have already been published. These documents include the following:

  The consultation paper and draft service for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services that were published in June 2002;

  The consultation paper and draft service specification for the Gourock to Dunoon route that were published in March 2003;

  The consultation paper and draft service specification for the Clyde and Hebrides ferry services that were published in December 2004;

  The Research into the application of the EU rules in other member states that was published on 12 September 2005, and

  The Report Clyde and Hebrides Lifeline Ferry Services Scottish Executive’s Consideration of the Requirement to Tender that was published on 12 September 2005.

  In addition, I shall lodge in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre within the next few weeks, a summary paper (Bib. number 37522) on the research on the uniqueness of the CalMac fleet that was commissioned in 2001 but which has not been published. I shall write to the member to let him know when the documents has been published.

Fisheries

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to prevent gangs of illegal cockle fishers from outwith the area cockling at Powfoot on the Solway Firth.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency is responsible for enforcing fisheries legislation in Scotland and is using its full range of powers to enforce the closure of the Solway Firth to cockle fishing. The agency will seek to prosecute whoever is involved in illegal fishing, wherever they are from.

Fisheries

Trish Godman (West Renfrewshire) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the dates are for handing over the fisheries protection vessels ordered from a Polish shipyard.

Ross Finnie: At this time the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency has identified Remontowa of Gdansk, Poland as the preferred bidder for one fisheries protection vessel and it is in negotiation with the Polish yard to finalise a contract. The delays to the contract assessment process mean that a date for handover of the vessel has not yet been fixed.

Fresh Talent Initiative

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18124 by Mr Tom McCabe on 24 August 2005, on what specific date it will provide details of Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme applications.

Mr Tom McCabe: We are in discussions with the Home Office about the date for publication of details on the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme.

Fresh Talent Initiative

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18124 by Mr Tom McCabe on 24 August 2005, how many individuals applied for the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme in its (a) first and (b) second month of operation; of these, how many applications were made (i) in person, (ii) from within the UK by post and (iii) from overseas, broken down by country, and how many applications in each category were successful.

Mr Tom McCabe: I refer to the answer to question S2W-18124 on 24 August 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  We expect information on individuals applying for the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme to be published in due course.

Fresh Talent Initiative

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18125 by Mr Tom McCabe on 24 August 2005, whether it has begun to compile information on applications for Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme visas; if so, how many individuals who successfully applied for such a visa are now resident in Scotland, and, of these, how many were resident (a) in Scotland and (b) overseas at the time of application, broken down into the first and second month of the scheme's operation.

Mr Tom McCabe: I refer to the answer to question S2W-18125 on 24 August 2005. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  We expect information on individuals applying for the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme to be published in due course.

Fresh Talent Initiative

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S2W-18124 and S2W-18125 by Mr Tom McCabe on 24 August 2005, whether reports on the uptake of the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme will be compiled by the Home Office or the Executive.

Mr Tom McCabe: Reports on the operation of the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme will be joint publications by the Executive and the Home Office.

Fresh Talent Initiative

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18125 by Mr Tom McCabe on 24 August 2005, what percentage of Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme applicants it expects to respond to the questionnaire to be issued by the Relocation Advisory Service and what percentage of responses it requires to ensure that information is accurate.

Mr Tom McCabe: Targets have not been set for the percentage of successful applicants to the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme expected to respond to the questionnaire. Return rates will be kept under review and a decision made at a later date as to whether any additional work needs to be done to increase return rates. Targets have not been set for the percentage of successful applicants to the Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme expected to respond to the questionnaire. Return rates and the representation of the respondents will be kept under review and a decision made at a later date as to whether any additional work needs to be done to increase return rates and improve the validity of the results.

Fresh Talent Initiative

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-18125 by Mr Tom McCabe on 24 August 2005, whether it will be compulsory for Fresh Talent: Working in Scotland scheme applicants to complete the questionnaire to be issued by the Relocation Advisory Service.

Mr Tom McCabe: It will not be compulsory for participants to complete the questionnaire. However, we are taking steps to make the questionnaire easily accessible. Return rates will be kept under review and a decision made at a later date as to whether any additional work needs to be done to increase return rates. This will only be through persuasion: the position relating to compulsion will not change.

Fresh Talent Initiative

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15237 by Mr Tom McCabe on 13 April 2005, how many enquiries have now been received by the Relocation Advisory Service, broken down by country of residence and month of enquiry.

Mr Tom McCabe: The web-based element of the Relocation Advisory Service opened on 12 October 2004. The service became fully operational at the end of that month. Between 12 October and 15 September 2005 a total of 7,382 enquiries have been received. These can be broken down as follows:

  By month,

  

 Pre-Launch
 21


 12-10-2004 to 31-10-2004
 321


 November
 480


 December
 739


 January
 1,031


 February
 698


 March
 1,124


 April
 733


 May
 591


 June
 698


 July
 413


 August
 348


 01-09-2005 to 15-09-2005 
 185


 Total 
 7,382



  By country,

  

 Unspecified
 1,219


 Albania
 5


 Algeria
 8


 Argentina
 6


 Armenia
 2


 Australia
 62


 Austria
 2


 Bahamas, The
 2


 Bahrain
 1


 Bangladesh
 23


 Belarus
 2


 Belgium
 9


 Benin
 1


 Bolivia
 1


 Botswana
 2


 Brazil
 10


 Brunei
 2


 Bulgaria
 8


 Cameroon
 11


 Canada
 138


 Cayman Islands
 3


 Chile
 1


 China
 45


 Congo, Republic of the
 2


 Croatia
 3


 Cyprus
 2


 Czech Republic
 11


 Denmark
 2


 Ecuador
 1


 Egypt
 2


 England
 286


 Eritrea
 1


 Finland
 1


 France
 15


 Gambia, The
 4


 Germany
 48


 Ghana
 13


 Greece
 16


 Guyana
 2


 Hong Kong
 12


 Hungary
 8


 Iceland
 5


 India
 1,331


 Indian Ocean
 2


 Indonesia
 3


 Iran
 8


 Israel
 1


 Italy
 18


 Jamaica
 1


 Japan
 6


 Jordan
 4


 Kenya
 6


 Korea, South
 2


 Kuwait
 1


 Latvia
 1


 Lebanon
 1


 Lithuania
 2


 Luxembourg
 1


 Macedonia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
 3


 Malaysia
 111


 Malta
 6


 Mauritius
 6


 Mexico
 23


 Moldova
 1


 Morocco
 9


 Nepal
 17


 Netherlands
 30


 New Zealand
 10


 Nicaragua
 1


 Niger
 1


 Nigeria
 332


 Northern Ireland
 6


 Norway
 1


 Oman
 2


 Pakistan
 64


 Panama
 1


 Peru
 15


 Philippines
 23


 Poland
 1222


 Portugal
 14


 Qatar
 1


 Republic of Ireland
 11


 Romania
 17


 Russia
 10


 Saudi Arabia
 6


 Scotland
 761


 Senegal
 1


 Serbia and Montenegro
 4


 Singapore
 19


 Slovakia
 1


 South Africa
 54


 Spain
 28


 Sri Lanka
 8


 Swaziland
 1


 Sweden
 11


 Switzerland
 2


 Taiwan
 13


 Tanzania
 2


 Thailand
 1


 Trinidad and Tobago
 5


 Tunisia
 3


 Turkey
 10


 Turkmenistan
 1


 Uganda
 11


 Ukraine
 20


 United Arab Emirates
 11


 United Kingdom
 452


 United States
 600


 Uruguay
 1


 Venezuela
 1


 Vietnam
 1


 Wales
 20


 Zambia
 3


 Zimbabwe
 9


 Total
 7,382

Fresh Talent Initiative

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many enquiries to the Relocation Advisory Service have resulted in relocations to Scotland.

Mr Tom McCabe: This information is not available.

  Fresh Talent is a long-term initiative and evaluating its overall success will take time. We will, however, be carrying out some more immediate evaluations of strands of activity which will give us some useful data. This includes an evaluation of the Relocation Advisory Service, which is now underway.

G8 Summit

Mr Mark Ruskell (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what budget was allocated to meet the requirement for the Airwave communications system to be fully operational for the G8 summit at Gleneagles.

Cathy Jamieson: No separate budget was allocated for Airwave at the G8 summit. The core cost of the service (which for Scottish forces is paid by the Scottish Executive) covered most of the use of the network during G8.

Health

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the outcome was of the conference held on 8 July 2005 on best practice for pain management.

Mr Andy Kerr: I wrote to the Convener of the Health Committee on 30 August 2005 to send her a report of the conference and advise her of the Executive’s response. I will arrange for a copy of that letter to be sent to the member.

Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether all existing stoma care nurse positions will remain after April 2006; how stoma care nursing will be funded after this date, and whether it will provide details of any planned changes which may affect stoma care nurses’ employment or working practices after this date.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Executive has no plans to reduce the number of stoma care nurse positions in Scotland after April 2006.

  Funding and employment and working practices of all nurse posts is a matter for the employing or contracting NHS board.

  All funding currently provided centrally for the provision of stoma appliances, from which appliance contractors either provide sponsorship moneys or employ directly nurses working in hospitals or the community will transfer directly to NHS boards with effect from 1 April 2006.

  NHS boards are now reviewing the position of nurses not currently employed by them but who provide stoma care in hospitals or the community, to ensure that those affected nurses who wish to do so can continue their employment within the NHS.

  These new more equitable funding arrangements allow NHS boards the financial flexibility to design future stoma services which will better meet the needs of patients and be more transparent and accountable.

Health

John Swinburne (Central Scotland) (SSCUP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) males and (b) females aged over (i) 60, (ii) 70 and (iii) 80 have been diagnosed with depression in each year since 1999 (1) in total and (2) broken down by NHS board area.

Lewis Macdonald: The exact number of people diagnosed with depression in Scotland in each year since 1999, is not available centrally. However, national estimates of the numbers of people diagnosed with depression can be given based on the number of patients seen for the condition in general practices participating in PTI (Practice Team Information). PTI data are obtained from a sample of Scottish General Practices. This sample covers the full range of age, sex, deprivation and urban/rural classes existing in Scotland. The number of participating practices is too small to allow estimates for individual NHS board areas.

  The estimated number of GP diagnoses of depression in Scotland, based on PTI data, is shown in the following table.

  Estimated Diagnoses of Depression for Scotland in Patients 60 and Over, by Gender and Age Group; 1999-2004

  

 Gender
 Age Group
 1999
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004


 Male
 60-69
 3,200
 3,100
 3,200
 3,700
 3,600
 3,200


 70-79
 1,900
 1,900
 2,100
 2,100
 1,600
 1,800


 80+
 1,000
 1,100
 900
 1,000
 900
 800


 All ages (60+)
 6,000
 6,000
 6,300
 6,800
 6,100
 5,800


 Female
 60-69
 7,000
 7,400
 7,400
 7,100
 6,600
 6,100


 70-79
 5,100
 4,800
 5,400
 5,400
 4,800
 4,500


 80+
 3,000
 3,300
 3,100
 2,600
 2,800
 2,300


 All ages (60+)
 15,200
 15,500
 15,900
 15,200
 14,100
 12,900



  Note: Estimates are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals for all ages may not equal the sum of age groups due to rounding.

Health

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has examined the report of the study carried out by the National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health in Finland which states that the mortality rate for women associated with abortions is three times the rate for women associated with childbirth and what comparative figures it has for Scotland.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Executive is aware of the existence of this study. All UK health departments are advised on issues relating to abortion by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which will take all good quality published studies into account in the next review of the college’s evidence-based good practice clinical guideline on the care of women seeking induced abortion.

  Abortion, both medical and surgical, is a very safe procedure and deaths following abortion are extremely rare. In the UK it is a requirement that all maternal deaths should be subject to confidential enquiry and all health professionals have a duty to provide the information required. Reports on such enquiries are published on a UK basis.

  The triennial report on Confidential Enquires into Maternal Deaths in the UK for the period 2000 to 2002, the last figures available, showed that three maternal deaths associated with termination of pregnancy were reported out of approximately 590,000 abortions performed. This works out at a rate of approximately five deaths per million abortions, compared with 53 deaths per million births.

Health Promotion

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the report, Adding Life To Years, cost to research and produce.

Lewis Macdonald: The total budget for the Adding Life To Years report was £115,000. Preparation for the Report and its printing cost £44,500, and the associated research cost £70,500. This research was a specially commissioned poll of the views of 500 older people on their experiences of the NHS, published along with Adding Life To Years as Public Attitudes to the Healthcare of Older People in Scotland: Research commissioned for the Expert Group on Healthcare of Older People (Bib. number 18922).

Health Promotion

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Adding Life To Years Implementation Group cost to set up and run.

Lewis Macdonald: The group comprised officials from within the Scottish Executive and there were no costs apart from the time of officials attending meetings, for which no separate accounting was made.

Health Promotion

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific targets were set by the Adding Life To Years Implementation Group and how they are being monitored.

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the performance has been to date against the specific targets set by the Adding Life To Years Implementation Group.

Lewis Macdonald: Following publication of Adding Life to Years, the Implementation Group was set up to monitor progress and the impact of change across Scotland. It did not set specific targets.

Justice

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce its response to the recommendations contained in the Sentencing Commission’s report on bail and remand.

Cathy Jamieson: I am pleased to announce that we will today publish our action plan on bail and remand, which is based on the Sentencing Commission’s recommendations.

  Copies are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 37528). The paper is also available online at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/09/26103133/31342.

NHS Finance

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the activity levels of each NHS board were expressed (a) in per capita spend and (b) by population share in each year since the introduction of the Arbuthnott formula.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information requested is provided in the following tables. The data has been extracted from the Scottish Health Service Cost Book, Expenditure on Health Services, Reports 200 to 280. This includes health care commissioned expenditure on: acute services; maternity services; geriatric assessment services; general psychiatry services; learning disabilities services; geriatric continuing care services; younger physically disabled services, and community services.

  The expenditure per head figures relates only to expenditure on the health care commissioned services listed above. These figures were used to provide to be comparable with the activity figures.

  A range of activity figures have been provided for each health board due to the different types of activity that is undertaken by health boards.

  Table 1: Expenditure per Head and Activity per Health Board Resident for Year Ended 31 March 2002

  

 Health Board
 Expenditure Per Head (£)
 Activity Per Person Resident in Health Board


 In-Patient Cases1
 In-Patient Weeks2
 Day Cases3
 Day Patient Attendances4
 Out-Patient New Attendances5
 A&E Attendances6
 Community Visits7


 Argyll and Clyde
 792
 0.20
 0.16
 0.09
 0.20
 0.35
 0.36
 2.68


 Ayrshire and Arran
 748
 0.18
 0.13
 0.10
 0.09
 0.28
 0.27
 2.21


 Borders
 778
 0.18
 0.12
 0.08
 0.19
 0.24
 0.25
 1.75


 Dumfries and Galloway
 810
 0.18
 0.11
 0.10
 0.22
 0.30
 0.33
 2.33


 Fife
 689
 0.17
 0.10
 0.11
 0.16
 0.31
 0.25
 2.31


 Forth Valley
 705
 0.16
 0.13
 0.10
 0.15
 0.24
 0.26
 2.36


 Grampian
 662
 0.18
 0.10
 0.05
 0.11
 0.21
 0.24
 1.97


 Greater Glasgow
 792
 0.20
 0.12
 0.09
 0.08
 0.27
 0.39
 1.76


 Highland
 787
 0.19
 0.08
 0.06
 0.12
 0.25
 0.25
 1.76


 Lanarkshire
 739
 0.19
 0.10
 0.09
 0.07
 0.22
 0.04
 1.65


 Lothian
 755
 0.15
 0.10
 0.07
 0.13
 0.26
 0.25
 1.35


 Orkney
 879
 0.20
 0.09
 0.05
 0.05
 0.45
 0.14
 1.94


 Shetland
 720
 0.20
 0.09
 0.06
 0.10
 0.26
 0.28
 2.47


 Tayside
 807
 0.19
 0.12
 0.07
 0.27
 0.49
 0.29
 1.85


 Western Isles
 1189
 0.23
 0.11
 0.07
 0.11
 0.25
 0.21
 2.41


 Totals or Averages
 756
 0.18
 0.11
 0.08
 0.13
 0.28
 0.27
 1.92



  Source: Scottish Health Service Cost Book 2002.

  Notes:

  1. Acute, maternity and geriatric assessment.

  2. General psychiatry services; learning disabilities services; geriatric continuing care services, and younger physically disabled.

  3. Acute and maternity.

  4. Geriatric assessment services; general psychiatry services; learning disabilities services; geriatric continuing care services, and younger physically disabled.

  5. Acute, maternity, geriatric assessment services; general psychiatry services, and learning disabilities services.

  6. Acute

  7. Community midwifery; community psychiatry services; community learning disability services, and nursing and health visiting.

  Table 2: Expenditure per Head and Activity per Health Board Resident for Year Ended 31 March 2003

  

 Health Board
 Expenditure Per Head (£)
 Activity Per Person Resident in Health Board


 In-Patient Cases1
 In-Patient Weeks2
 Day Cases3
 Day Patient Attendances4
 Out-Patient New Attendances5
 A&E Attendances6
 Community Visits7


 Argyll and Clyde
 840
 0.20
 0.16
 0.09
 0.20
 0.35
 0.31
 2.75


 Ayrshire and Arran
 804
 0.19
 0.12
 0.09
 0.09
 0.30
 0.27
 2.20


 Borders
 823
 0.18
 0.11
 0.06
 0.16
 0.26
 0.26
 2.66


 Dumfries and Galloway
 853
 0.18
 0.10
 0.11
 0.22
 0.27
 0.32
 2.45


 Fife
 731
 0.17
 0.09
 0.10
 0.16
 0.39
 0.22
 1.83


 Forth Valley
 767
 0.15
 0.08
 0.09
 0.15
 0.23
 0.26
 2.32


 Grampian
 716
 0.18
 0.10
 0.04
 0.12
 0.21
 0.24
 1.98


 Greater Glasgow
 890
 0.21
 0.12
 0.09
 0.06
 0.29
 0.40
 1.84


 Highland
 852
 0.20
 0.07
 0.06
 0.07
 0.26
 0.24
 1.59


 Lanarkshire
 789
 0.21
 0.10
 0.09
 0.07
 0.24
 0.28
 1.63


 Lothian
 729
 0.15
 0.10
 0.06
 0.12
 0.25
 0.24
 1.29


 Orkney
 1031
 0.20
 0.09
 0.05
 0.05
 0.61
 0.15
 2.32


 Shetland
 691
 0.19
 0.05
 0.06
 0.10
 0.27
 0.28
 2.49


 Tayside
 820
 0.18
 0.11
 0.06
 0.25
 0.51
 0.26
 1.84


 Totals or Averages
 798
 0.18
 0.11
 0.08
 0.12
 0.30
 0.29
 1.90



  Source: Scottish Health Service Cost Book 2003.

  Note:

  1-7. As above.

  8. Data is not available for Western Isles.

  Table 3: Expenditure per Head and Activity per Health Board Resident for Year Ended 31 March 2004

  

 Health Board
 Expenditure Per Head (£)
 Activity per person resident in Health Board


 In-Patient Cases1
 In-Patient Weeks2
 Day Cases3
 Day Patient Attendances4
 Out-Patient New Attendances5
 A&E Attendances6
 Community Visits7


 Argyll and Clyde
 959
 0.20
 0.14
 0.10
 0.20
 0.28
 0.32
 1.37


 Ayrshire and Arran
 863
 0.20
 0.11
 0.09
 0.09
 0.30
 0.28
 2.26


 Borders
 893
 0.18
 0.09
 0.05
 0.24
 0.83
 0.22
 2.85


 Dumfries and Galloway
 934
 0.20
 0.10
 0.08
 0.18
 0.24
 0.33
 1.83


 Fife
 796
 0.17
 0.09
 0.11
 0.15
 0.48
 0.25
 2.19


 Forth Valley
 789
 0.15
 0.10
 0.09
 0.15
 0.25
 0.26
 2.08


 Grampian
 754
 0.19
 0.10
 0.04
 0.12
 0.23
 0.24
 1.95


 Greater Glasgow
 965
 0.20
 0.11
 0.09
 0.04
 0.27
 0.38
 1.87


 Highland
 927
 0.20
 0.07
 0.06
 0.04
 0.25
 0.24
 1.59


 Lanarkshire
 837
 0.20
 0.09
 0.09
 0.07
 0.25
 0.30
 1.51


 Lothian
 846
 0.16
 0.09
 0.07
 0.11
 0.26
 0.23
 1.08


 Orkney
 1009
 0.23
 0.06
 0.05
 0.04
 0.50
 0.17
 2.09


 Shetland
 802
 0.56
 0.08
 0.06
 0.09
 0.32
 0.35
 2.64


 Tayside
 880
 0.19
 0.10
 0.06
 0.19
 0.51
 0.29
 1.90


 Totals or Averages
 870
 0.19
 0.10
 0.08
 0.11
 0.31
 0.29
 1.75



  Source: Scottish Health Service Cost Book 2004.

  Notes:

  1-8. As above.

NHS Prescriptions

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance will be given to sufferers of chronic illnesses who are not eligible for free prescriptions to help meet the costs of their prescriptions and essential treatments until the review of NHS prescription charges is completed.

Lewis Macdonald: The current prescription charge exemption arrangements are designed to protect those who are most likely to have difficulty paying charges.

  A person can be exempt from payment of NHS prescription charges on grounds of age, receipt of certain passporting benefits e.g., income support, or because they suffer from one of the chronic medical conditions which confer exemption.

  In addition, people who are not exempt but have a low income may be able to get help with charges under the NHS Low Income Scheme.

  Prescription pre-payment certificates can offer savings for people who do not qualify for free NHS prescriptions if the patient needs more than five items in a four month period, and if patient needs more than 14 items in 12 month period.

NHS Waiting Times

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting times for hernia operations have been in each year since 1999, broken down by NHS board area.

Mr Andy Kerr: The majority of patients who require in-patient and day case treatment, including hernia operations, are treated quickly. Nearly 55% of patients treated in NHSScotland hospitals receive immediate treatment and never join a waiting list. Of those who do wait, 41% are admitted within one month and almost 70% within three months.

  For those who wait longer, the current national maximum waiting time is nine months. This guaranteed waiting time will be reduced to six months from the end of 2005 and to 18 weeks from the end of 2007. On 30 June 2005, no NHSScotland patient with a guarantee had waited more than nine months for in-patient and day case treatment.

  The deferred waiting list was abolished on 1 April 2003. Prior to that date patients admitted for treatment from the deferred list were excluded from any analysis of published retrospective waiting time data. Consequently, as the data prior to 1 April would not be directly comparable with later years, information has only been provided for 2003-04 and 2004-05. Median waiting times are derived from information on patients treated during the year and includes patients who will have had an Availability Status Code (ASC) applied, for example because they were medically unfit or asked for their admission to be deferred for personal reasons. The table shows the median waiting time for a hernia operation for the years 2003-04 and 2004-05 by NHS board of residence.

  Median Waiting Time for a Hernia1 Operation by NHS Board of Residence for the Years Ending 31 March 2004 And 2005P

  

 NHS Board Area
31 March 2004
Days
31 March 2005P
Days


 Argyll and Clyde
 83
 86


 Ayrshire and Arran
 82
 99


 Borders
 127
 96


 Dumfries and Galloway
 106
 84


 Fife
 170
 156


 Forth Valley
 130
 137


 Grampian
 98
 93


 Greater Glasgow
 108
 97


 Highland
 69
 95


 Lanarkshire
 150
 183


 Lothian
 148
 118


 Orkney
 21*
 39


 Shetland
 41
 36*


 Tayside
 104
 77


 Western Isles
 66
 40*


 NHSScotland
 110
 107



  PProvisional.

  Notes:

  1. Hernia operations are defined as all OPCS4 procedures "T19" to "T27" inclusive.

  *Figures should be treated with caution as they are derived from a possibly unrepresentative small number of discharges (less than 50).

National Health Service

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in implementing Agenda for Change.

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it expects Agenda for Change to be fully implemented.

Mr Andy Kerr: At the end of August 2005 NHS Scotland had matched 45% of its staff to national job profiles. While progress has been steady, NHS Scotland acknowledge that, in common with the other UK Health Services, not all staff will be assimilated to new pay bands by the original UK target date of end September.

  Partnership discussions have taken place with a view to establishing a framework which will achieve assimilation of staff to new Agenda for Change pay bands as soon as possible, while retaining the quality assurance and consistency checking which is carried out at local and national levels. In this respect, the Scottish Executive Health Department has asked all health boards to submit tightly timetabled progress plans. Progress plans, both at health board level and across NHS Scotland, will be performance managed by the Scottish Executive.

  The Scottish Pay Reference and Implementation Group have made a number of recommendations to health boards with a view to improving progress towards implementation. These are:

  Concentrating efforts, in the first instance, on the large job families and those posts which will match straightforwardly;

  Developing a separate timetable for Special Health Boards, and

  Establishing regional or national job evaluation panels for common posts requiring local evaluation.

  An electronic tool which will assimilate staff to the new Agenda for Change pay bands has been designed, and will be rolled out to the service in the week commencing the 26 September.

  NHS Scotland remains committed to implementing Agenda for Change as quickly and effectively as possible, while ensuring that the process of implementation and its outcomes are fair, balanced and consistent.

National Health Service

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits to public health it anticipates as a result of implementing Agenda for Change.

Mr Andy Kerr: Agenda for Change represents a ground breaking package of pay reform for over 90% of NHS Scotland staff. Not only will it deliver equal pay for work of equal value for staff, but will also improve personal development though wider access to training and career progression opportunities.

  Agenda for Change is currently in its implementation phase, so it is as yet too early to establish what the full effects of implementation on patient services are. However, when it is fully embedded it is anticipated that the new system will support the delivery of improved and modernised services to patients, with higher quality care provided to more patients, more quickly.

  The Scottish Executive has recently written to all health boards in NHS Scotland asking for the submission of delivery plans which outline how pay modernisation is being used and will be used to deliver benefits realisation. Health boards have been asked to submit their initial plans by 30 September 2005, with a further six months progress report to be submitted by 31 March 2006.

National Health Service

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients have been seen at each Glasgow Emergency Medical Service centre in each of the last five years.

Mr Andy Kerr: The following table represents the number of patients seen at each Glasgow Emergency Medical Service centre in each of the last five years. These figures are supplied by the Greater Glasgow NHS Board.

  

 
 2000
 2001
 2002
 2003
 2004
 Total


 Cardonald
 13,805
 13,730
 14,083
 12,436
 9,490
 63,544


 Drumchapel
 15,800
 14,969
 15,530
 14,218
 12,514
 73,031


 Lightburn
 19,405
 18,680
 19,360
 17,784
 14,303
 89,532


 Stobhill
 24,790
 24,076
 25,235
 22,732
 19,666
 116,499


 Victoria
 32,218
 30,809
 31,814
 29,518
 24,886
 149,245


 Western
 10,161
 9,593
 10,202
 9,379
 8,516
 47,851


 Total
 116,179
 111,857
 116,224
 106,067
 89,375
 539,702

National Health Service

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many doctors are on duty in each Glasgow Emergency Medical Service centre each night.

Mr Andy Kerr: The information is as follows:

  

 Primary Care Emergency Centre
 Doctors on Duty


 Until Midnight
 After Midnight


 Cardonald
 1
 -


 Drumchapel
 1
 -


 Lightburn
 1
 -


 Stobhill
 1
 1


 Victoria
 2
 1


 Western
 1
 -



  Until midnight the centres are supported by five additional doctors who work across them between home visits. After midnight three doctors undertake this role.

National Health Service

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether patients waiting to see a GP at an out-of-hours clinic are triaged on arrival at the clinic.

Mr Andy Kerr: Patients in Scotland who require medical attention or advice during the out-of-hours period first contact NHS 24. The out of hours period are those hours between 18:30 to 08:00 Monday to Thursday, and at the weekend 18:30 on Friday to 08:00 Monday and all day on those public holidays as agreed by each board.

  Depending on the clinical symptoms or condition described, NHS 24 will direct patients to the most appropriate out-of-hours service. In most cases where medical attention or advice is required out of hours, NHS 24 will advise attendance at a NHS Board Out-of-Hours (OoH) Centre within travelling distance to where the patient lives for further assessment and treatment.

  Where attendance at a NHS board OoH centre is appropriate, NHS 24 send details of the patient to the centre. The precise arrangements for how and when the patient will attend differ from board area to board area. In some centres, the patient can attend at any time; in others, the patient might be given an appointment, within a time period appropriate to their clinical priority, need and/or condition.

  Upon arrival at the NHS board OoH Centre, patients will be seen in turn or by appointment unless their clinical condition suggests a more urgent need when they will be seen as soon as is necessary.

  Therefore, patients attending NHS board OoH centres will have already been triaged through NHS 24. However, if the patient’s clinical condition has changed by the time they arrive at the OoH Centre, staff will ensure they are seen as quickly as clinically necessary.

National Health Service

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial input has been made by each local authority to ensure that the requirement under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 to provide access to independent advocacy for every person with a mental disorder is met.

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what financial input has been made by each NHS board to ensure that the requirement under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 to provide access to independent advocacy for every person with a mental disorder is met.

Lewis Macdonald: This information is not held centrally.

National Health Service

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it has assessed the capacity of independent advocacy services to meet the needs of people with mental health problems in light of the requirements in respect of advocacy in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive has assessed the position on the basis of the plans and updates provided to it through the joint local implementation planning process and progress reports and through discussion with the Advocacy Safeguards Agency which has itself assessed and provided feedback to local areas on their advocacy plans.

  All local authorities and health boards have agreed additional allocations for these services and in most areas new staff or services are already in place.

National Health Service

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it plans to monitor the uptake and impact of independent advocacy services in light of the requirements in respect of advocacy in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003.

Lewis Macdonald: All local authorities and health boards will monitor the uptake of advocacy services closely. It is difficult to predict the level of demand for advocacy under the new Act. Our on-going monitoring and other contact with local agencies will continue to include attention on progress and delivery of the advocacy commitments.

  The Mental Welfare Commission has a duty under the new Act to monitor its operation which would include individual’s access to advocacy services.

Police

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-15914 by Cathy Jamieson on 20 April 2005, how many convictions for assault on a police officer there were in 2004, broken down by police force area.

Cathy Jamieson: Complete statistical information on convictions for 2004 is not yet available. Finalised statistics for 2004-05 are expected to be available for publication in March 2006.

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the expenditure on external consultant fees has been by each of its departments in each of the last six years, showing also (a) year-on-year percentage changes and (b) totals for the six years with each department's expenditure expressed as a percentage of the overall sum.

Mr Tom McCabe: The information is given in the following table.

  

 
FY 2001-02
 FY 2002-03
 FY 2003-04
 FY 2004-05


£ Million


Year-on-Year % Change
N/A
 N/A
 -23%
 26%


Consultancy Fees
Disproportionate cost to recover from old SCOAP system
2.1
1.6
2.7



  The figures and the breakdown of information are as recorded on the Scottish Executive’s finance and accounting system.

Scottish Executive Expenditure

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its total spending on management consultants has been in each of the last five years, broken down by department.

Mr Tom McCabe: The Scottish Executive does not hold information on total spending under a categorisation of "management consultants".

  However, in the answer to question S2W-18755 on 26 September 2005, we have been able to provide certain details of expenditure on "external consultant fees". All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

Scottish Executive Funding

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it will provide for mediation services in the next three years, broken down by department where possible.

Hugh Henry: Information is not held centrally on funding provision by Executive departments for the next three years.

Scottish Executive Ministers

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many foreign trips ministers have made on official business in each year since 1999 and what the duration has been of each trip.

Mr Tom McCabe: I refer to the answer to questions S1W-29052 given on 9 September 2002, S2W-2904 given on 25 September 2003, S2W-9345 given on 25 June 2004 and S2W-15945 given on 27 April 2005 for information regarding overseas travel undertaken by ministers for the period from 1 July 1999 to 31 march 2004.

  Information on ministerial visits overseas for the financial year 2004-05 will be published shortly.